Captain: Protect Atlantic Coral Canyons

As a charter boat captain, I support designation of a New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts National Monument [Aug. 4, courant.com, "National Marine Monument Status Sought for Undersea Region Off New England"]. Many other captains and recreational fishermen I have spoken to do too.

When I run far out, it's always obvious when I reach a canyon edge. Because the ocean explodes with life. Concentrations of bait fish, squids, rays, sharks and tuna show on the surface, and there is rarely a shortage of whales. This is what makes canyon trips so attractive.

Yet such abundance and diversity is just the tip of the iceberg. I know from my work as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council that extraordinary deep sea corals line these canyons, some as large as trees and hundreds of years old. These are complex and important ecosystems that we currently know little about. But we do know that everything is tied together. Without doubt, such biodiverse areas, which belong to all of us, deserve the sort of permanent protection that comes from monument designation. It should happen now ... before it's too late.

John McMurray, Oceanside, N.Y.The writer is president of One More Cast Charters.